Felted Wool Dryer Balls

I love seeing Good Garbage (GG) through the eyes of others. Some folks visit the shop looking for something specific; others browse and wait for inspiration. Some are looking for things to make their work easier; for example teachers or parents, providing more/new materials for their students/children. Others are finding what they need to make their lives easier - inexpensive home improvement, a money saving life hack, or an idea for stretching their resources.

Last week, Amanda, a GG supporter, posted on our Facebook page about the felted wool dryer balls she made out of some of the fabulous wool yarn remnants donated to the shop. As devoted as I am to upcycling and recycling, this was a reminder there's always more to learn. How had I never heard of felted wool dryer balls?

These little gems are simple to make and replace the pricey, chemical-laced dryer sheets most of us rely on to keep our clothes static free. Even better, they reduce the amount of time it takes to dry a load of laundry, as the wool pulls the moisture out of your laundry and the movement of the balls helps separate your clothes, allowing more hot air to circulate.

If you Google "felted wool dryer balls" you'll find dozens of tutorials on how to make them, some more complicated than others. But here's the process, in a nutshell.

First, choose your yarn. Look for 100% wool (no "wool blends") and enough yarn to make a ball the size of a tennis ball. To avoid the risk of any color bleeding, go with white or cream or some incredibly pale color.

Next, create your yarn ball, leaving a rather long tail (1-2 feet), then use a blunt-tipped yarn needle to sew the tail through the ball of yarn several times. When you feel like the yarn is secure in all directions, cut the tail.

Then simply toss your wool balls into the washer the next time you wash a load on hot/cold, and dry it on the hottest dryer setting. Plan to repeat this step and send it through the laundry cycle several times to thoroughly felt it (you should see a difference after each load). The yarn ball is completely felted when the strands are no longer separate or at risk of unraveling.

That's it! To dry a regular-size load of laundry, you'll need 4-6 felted wool dryer balls; large loads need balls 6 or more.

If you miss the "fresh scent" your dryer sheets added to your laundry, you can add a few drops of an essential oil to each dryer ball, but be careful not to add too much so the oil doesn't spot your clothes.


It doesn't get much easier (or more earth-friendly) than this.



Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!

Upcycling Wood Flooring Samples

Are you the kind of person who can easily see shapes or objects in the clouds? I play a similar game when I see obtainium - stuff that has been cast aside and deemed useless, until it's obtained by someone who can see the potential in it.

Last week, I found myself staring at a few wood flooring samples, envisioning all kinds of uses for these things. The larger ones would be fun to use as luggage tags and there's no way anyone else would have a giant faux wood-grain luggage tag, so there would be zero chance of someone picking up my suitcase by mistake. Score!

The smaller ones would work as an unusual business card (glue or paint my info on the back) or I could Mod Podge a photo on it and hang it from my key ring.

You know what else I see? Door hangers! Granted the opening isn't big enough for this to slip over a door handle, but adding a piece of twine would fix that. And there are so many ways to personalize it.

I grabbed some Scrabble tiles and chalked a wooden embellishment, then affixed everything with glue dots (a glue gun would've worked, too) and, voila! 

A door hanger for Sara.

Wouldn't these be cute hanging in each child's cubby at school? The project is simple enough a child could make her/his own hanger. If you don't have Scrabble tiles or other pre-made letters, give the kids things they can cut out and glue onto the wood.

Speaking of Scrabble tiles, old game pieces are fun embellishments for all kinds of crafts, so be sure to raid your game boxes before getting rid of them or watch yard sales for deals. You'll find lots of games being sold for $1 or less because they're missing a few pieces - but you won't mind, because crafting with Monopoly property cards is so much more fun than playing!

Now it's your turn: what would you make of these floor samples?

Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!

Turning Carpet Samples into Locker Rugs, Yes, Locker Rugs!

When I was old enough to have a school locker, they were used to hold books. Maybe a photo or two, held on with magnets or Scotch tape. And we had to walk uphill, in the snow, everyday, just to reach our locker, so no one spent much time decorating it.

Fast forward to today and there are lockers at my son's middle school that are better decorated than my bedroom! I say, "Good for you." I'm all for expressing yourself and making your locker something other than a pit of old papers and squished sandwiches.

So far, the only "extras" our son wants in his locker are a shelf (his locker has none) and a mirror (and he's not even sure why he wants that, but he saw it in an ad and figured he needed it). While shopping for these luxuries, I saw this:

(photo credit: containerstore.com)

Oh my stars! Is that a chandelier in the locker on the right? And wallpaper (removable). And adorable organizers, that are also practical - those I would buy. Then there are the locker rugs. I see pink on the left and a zebra pattern on the right, but should tell you there are soooooo many more choices (who knew lockers got chilly?).

I did discover patterns and project ideas for making your own locker rug - weaving, knitting, macrame, even hook rug kits - those are something I could get behind. Again, I'm all for self-expression. But $10 or more for a locker rug?

Well, it just so happens that Good Garbage is cleaning out its remaining carpet remnants to make room for new remnants that will be donated his fall. So, I've been busily brainstorming what could be made from these plush little squares. Coasters? Barbie area rugs? Cushions for the inside of a gift box? Or how about a one-of-a-kind locker rug?

I used some good, strong cardboard as my base - left over from a book of fabric remnants. I cut it to 10.5"(w) x 10.5"(d) for our 11" x 11" middle school lockers.

Then I wrapped the edges with Washi tape, to cover the raw edge left after cutting and to make all the edges look the same.

After that, it was just a matter of gluing the carpet samples to my base. I used a glue gun, but a strong craft glue or double-sided tape would work, too. And I mixed in some larger carpet samples I got at Home Depot years ago, because who wants uniform?

If you prefer a more finished look, you could add piping or ribbon to fill the gaps between the pieces and cover any flaws.

If you don't have a locker, you could make one of these for the cabinet under your sink or a drawer liner or the place where your pet's food and water bowls sit or any number of spaces in your home.


Now it's your turn to brainstorm: what would you make with carpet samples?

Good Garbage is Louisville's one and only creative reuse center, where you'll find all the components for this project and a gazillion others. Visit GoodGarbage.org for store hours, info on upcoming events, a link to our Etsy store and more!